Sergeant Darcy J.L.J. St-Laurent

  • Winnipeg, Manitoba

Decorations for Bravery

  • Star of Courage

    • Awarded on: March 25, 1998
    • Invested on: September 18, 1998

    Sergeant Kevin Dale Elliott, S.C., C.D.
    Master Corporal Darcy St-Laurent, S.C., C.D.
    Star of Courage

    On November 13, 1996, Search and Rescue Technicians Elliott and St-Laurent parachuted in hazardous weather to rescue four survivors whose helicopter had crashed in the Torngat Mountains of Northern Labrador. The technicians had already effected two unsuccessful searches with flare illumination and were returning to their base because of dwindling fuel, when distress flares were reported from the base of a fiord. With weather conditions worsening, they decided to jump, aware that preparations had to be done in half the normal time, due to low fuel. A landing plateau was identified amidst the 50-metre rock peaks, five kilometres from the crash site. As they jumped, both men were tossed around by turbulence and separated from each other by high winds that carried them away from the plateau, in a blinding snow squall. After a difficult landing, they managed to reunite, and locate their equipment. Sgt. Elliott and then Cpl. St-Laurent dragged their heavy toboggan during a two-hour night descent of the cliffs, forced from time to time to take shelter. One kilometre from the crash site, they detected a faint light and radioed the information to another rescue team who made its way through the inclement weather and succeeded in airlifting the victims to safety. As there was limited space onboard the helicopter, Sgt. Elliott and MCpl. St-Laurent stayed behind, constructed a snow cave shelter and waited for recovery.

  • Medal of Bravery

    • Awarded on: June 21, 2007
    • Invested on: February 29, 2008

    Master Corporal Brian Michael Decaire, M.B.
    Sergeant Darcy J.L.J. St-Laurent, S.C., M.B., C.D.
    Medal of Bravery

    On April 26, 2005, search and rescue technicians Master Corporal Brian Decaire and Sergeant Darcy St-Laurent parachuted from a Hercules aircraft during a blizzard to assist a downed aviator who was stranded west of Boland Lake, in the Northwest Territories. In total darkness, they performed a challenging night landing, farther away than projected from the downed helicopter. Despite being buffeted by the extremely high winds, the rescuers walked for an hour, carrying 50 kg of survival gear on their backs, until they reached the stranded pilot. In the most adverse weather conditions, victim and rescuers waited out the storm until they could be extracted from the site by military helicopter five days later.

    Sgt St-Laurent was awarded a Star of Courage in 1996 for another search and rescue mission.